AM: (9.5 miles, 1:26:27). Drove down to "the Y" and ran towards the Schultz Creek trail and then to the Fort Valley Trail - I took a "wrong" turn from the road to the Schultz Creek trailhead and ended up with a 20 min, very slow, slog up the side of the mountain -- very rocky. Barely running. Nice day -- started out in the 80s and then it sprinkled most of the run! Got a very late start today because we were woken up at 2:30 AM (I was woken up and in turn woke Dean up) by A BAT in our bedroom!! Seriously! I did not know what it was until after I made Dean open up the door leading from our room to the porch -- and even then Dean was laying there trying to go back to sleep (what????) and I said, "I can't stay in here with that thing flying over my head!!". I went upstairs to one of the guest rooms to try to sleep -- about 1/2 hour later Dean came out of the room and said that he thought it was gone! Too funny ... I did not get back to sleep until about 4 or 5AM!! So, yesterday I met with Ultra marathoner, and ultra coach Ian Torrence to discuss strategies for my upcoming 50th birthday celebration: A little 50K run in Chattanooga TN, aptly named Stump Jump. I bought Ian breakfast, and he divulged some of his nutrition secrets and we came up with a very loosely sketched out training plan ... which primarily consists of my usual marathon training plan with the primary change to include two 4 hour hilly runs on a Saturday followed by 2 hour fast finish runs the next day. Saturday's run will be geared toward staying on my feet for 4 hours, and playing with nutrition, while learning how to run really slowly during that run so I can come back the next day and run a faster run. Should be fun. I won't be able to practice the hard terrain runs of the Southeast (because our trails are rocky rather than overgrown with roots -- and, it is too dangerous on the hills here right now, with the snakes). But, Ian thinks that the "time on feet", nutrition, and hills, will be the most important -- especially since my primary goal for this race will be to finish - and have fun! If all goes well, I will come off of the 50K training/race ready to get ready for a Spring marathon -- my first in the 50 year old age group. I hope you are all doing well!!
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